The Key to Success
by Catsrawesome
Summary: It all started with a horrible fight between two of our favorite demigods. Jason says that Leo will never be a success, and Leo is so determined to prove him wrong that he makes a bet that in fives years time, he will be a success, while putting two thousand drachmas on the line. When they reunite with him after five years, they find him comfortable, happy, and... famous? R&R!
1. The Bet-Jason

**HEY PEPS! **

**it is once again the Amazing Lord of Fanfiction and Cats, CATSRAWESOME! WHOOO!**

**So, I am here with yet ANOTHER Heroes of Olympus story for your enjoyment. I hope you like it!**

**Jason**

I had fought in the Giant War. I had let countless armies into battle. I even saw Octavian without a shirt on (_that _was pretty scary).

But none could have compared to the terror that gripped me so hard that I was surprised my blood was still flowing.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. The Dining Pavilion in Camp Half Blood was clean. The table was set. The food (vegetarian) was out. I was wearing a clean, casual outfit. My hair was combed.

Everything was set for my date with Piper.

I once again looked at the machine that lay hidden in the wall. If it worked properly, it would shoot miniature fireworks over the table. Leo had built it himself, so that put me a bit at ease. I don't always trust him, but he is an amazing mechanic, and I trusted him with this.

The previous day, when I had told Leo my request, he just smiled his usual cocky smile and said, "On it! The Super Mcsnizzle will have your little date be _magical!" _

I think he had said that last part just to piss me off.

At least he made it. If Piper found the note (I told her that I had to meet with her in private. Something about finding more Celestial Bronze… Wow, I must be really nervous if I don't remember what I wrote), she would arrive in only a few minutes. As the minutes ticked by, I got more and more anxious. Where was she? Would she even come?

My question was answered when I heard footsteps. They were light and even-paced, and had some energy to it. No doubt about it, it was Piper. Yes, I know the sound of her footsteps. No, I am not a stalker.

Soon, she emerged into the room. She was wearing a short, brown, spaghetti-strap dress that went above her knees and black leggings underneath. A bit fancy, yet still casual.

I love Piper.

At first she just looked at me. She started to say, "Hey Jason. What do you-"

Her eyes trailed to the table. First they grew wide, and then trailed back to me. Her eyes were a little glassy from tears, but a huge smile was on her face. She ran over to me and hugged me tightly.

"Surprise," I whispered into her ear as we hugged.

We broke apart and then walked to the table. I pulled out Piper's chair like a gentleman and let her sit down (she gave me a playful glare at the gesture, but sat down nevertheless). I then sat in my seat.

"Vegetarian," I said, indicating to the meat-free delicacies laid out in front of us.

"You planned everything, didn't you?" asked Piper.

"Every last detail," I admitted. Piper let out a laugh.

We each took a bit of food and then sat up. I lit a candle in the middle of the table, took a small bit of food from my plate, and threw it into the flame while saying, "Jupiter."

The food magically disintegrated on contact with the fire and let out an aroma that smelled like the cafés in New Rome and Piper's perfume. Piper did the same, this time saying, "Aphrodite", and we started eating.

"This is delicious," said Piper, "Did you make it?"

"No. Hazel did," I replied.

"That explains a lot," said Piper, laughing at my expression, "What? She is amazing at cooking!"

"Well, duh," I said, "But I am not that bad either!"

"Well, I have never tasted your cooking, but maybe you can cook for me sometime."

_Of course, you just had to say something, _I thought, _Now you have to cook something delicious for Piper! AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT!_

Piper can read me like a book.

"Just kidding," she said, smiling.

After a few more minutes of eating and talking, I saw the moment approaching. I waited a little longer and then…

"Piper," I said.

Piper looked up from her food. "Yes?"

"I have a surprise for you."

"These surprises never seem to end!" she sounded exasperated, but she looked excited.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a button.

"What's that?" Piper asked.

"You'll see," I replied, smiling.

I pressed the button.

Five tiny pipes revealed themselves in the wall. At first they didn't do anything, but then the insides of the pipes started to glow. Then, in a shower of sparks, small rockets were shot out of them and exploded in a bunch of colorful lights. Piper shrieked a little at first, but then gazed at them in wonder. I just watched them alongside her, gazing at her every now and then. We didn't notice the distance between us getting smaller and smaller until we were nearly touching. We gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, and then leaned in and-

BAM!

A huge explosion threw us back, and we both ended up being sprawled up on the floor. Black soot spluttered from the explosion and covered both me and Piper. I watched in horror as smoke that was caused from the explosion cleared up to reveal the pipes bent and half melted, glowing cherry red. I looked at Piper. She didn't look hurt, but she did look a little dazed. I ran over to her and helped her up.

"Are you ok?" I asked her as I pulled to her feet.

"Yes-yes I'm fine," she said, "Was that supposed to happen?"

"No! Of course not! I don't know how it could have gone wrong! It was built by-"

I stopped. My panic was replaced by anger.

"Leo," I growled. Piper started to look nervous.

"Are _you _ok?"

"No," I muttered quietly. I was shaking now from my anger. I stormed out of the pavilion and ran towards Bunker Nine, where I knew Leo would be working.

Or at least, where he will be working, because there wouldn't be much left of him after I was through with him.

I heard Piper running behind me with her light, even-paced footsteps. I forced myself not to become memorized with the rhythm. When I got to the bunker, I rapped on the door furiously.

"Open up!" I said, not bothering to be polite. The door was answered immediately by The Idiot of Idiots himself.

"Hey!" he said, grinning, "How was your date-"

He stopped when he saw me covered in soot, fuming.

"It went horribly, thanks to your stupid machine!" I yelled at him.

Leo looked horrified for a moment, and then it changed into a look of dread.

"Oh no," he muttered to himself, "I forgot to tighten the stabilizer! That is why it happened. I am so, so sorry. It won't happen again."

"WELL, IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT NOW, ISN'T IT!" I screamed, "THANKS A LOT, YOU ABSOLUTELY USELESS MECHANIC!"

Leo now looked hurt. He didn't meet my eyes.

"Jason," said Piper, putting a hand on my shoulder, "Calm down."

Her charmspeak worked, but only just. It only slightly calmed down, and I was still furious with Leo.

"You just can't handle anything big without help, can you?" I spat at him.

"That-that's not true!" he stammered.

"Oh yeah? Name one thing you ever did without help!"

Leo opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, and then closed it and turned away.

"I knew it," I said, sneering.

"But I _can _do things on my own!" Leo protested.

"No you can't. You're worthless. You can't even handle a tiny project like a small fireworks machine."

"I-I'm not worthless!" he shouted, but he didn't sound convinced himself.

"Jason, stop!" said Piper.

"Thanks a lot, Repair Boy!"

A single tear ran down Leo's chin and silently fell to the ground.

"I am not worthless," he said calmly, "I can do things myself. I _can _be a success! And I can prove it."

"Really?" I said, slightly unnerved by his calm tone, "How?"

"I want to make a bet," he said, surprising me, "If I am not a success in five years, you win the bet. If I am, I win. I am putting down two thousand drachmas.

The price surprised me more than the bet. _Two thousand drachmas!? Is he crazy?_

Nevertheless, I buried my shock deep down inside of me and said, "Deal. And you can't get any help from _anyone_."

We shook hands, and the deal was struck.

Right after our hands left contact with each other, Leo bolted past us and ran into the woods. Piper immediately shouted, "Leo!" and ran after him. I then heard a loud _SMACK!_ I ran outside to see what happened. Piper was on the ground, sobbing hysterically into her hands. Leo was nowhere to be seen.

"Piper, are you ok?" I said, gently lifting her hands away from her face. On her right cheek was a red mark.

"Why?" she said, "Why did you have to do that to Leo?"

"Do what, tell him the truth?"

"He must be devastated!"

"Who cares? He will show up tomorrow and we will all forget what happened!"

"What if he doesn't? What if he really ran away, in the mortal world, with nothing to defend himself with?"

"He may be an idiot," I said through clenched teeth, "But I don't think he is that much of an idiot. And he didn't run away, so stop worrying yourself over it!"

She broke into sobs once again, so I picked her up bridal-style and carried her to her cabin. Luckily, the rest of the Aphrodite Cabin was asleep, as it was well past twelve, so I didn't have to deal with the shrieks from the 'Jasper' supporters. I laid her down on her bed and kissed her forehead. I went to my cabin in sour spirits. I slowly drifted into a restless slumber, my last thought of Leo, and his tear-streaked face.

###

When I woke up, my anger had completely vanished. I stretched, and then reality hit me. I immediately regretted yelling at Leo, and promised myself that I would apologize the next time I see him.

I didn't know it would be so long.

As I exited my cabin, I immediately realized that something was wrong. People were running from cabin to cabin, calling out to each other. I saw Annabeth among the people, so I ran up to her and confronted her.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked her.

I got a glance of her worried expression before she glared at me.

"I thought you would have known," she said, not taking her sinister eyes off of me.

"Of course I don't!"

"Well, if you must know, one of the campers is missing, and the whole camp is searching for him."

That sounded a little odd to me. Losing a camper is serious, but I didn't think it was serious enough for the whole camp to be looking.

"Speaking of missing camper, have you seen Leo? I need to talk to him."

"Oh you do now, don't you?"

"Yes, so do you know where I can find him?"

Annabeth now looked grief stricken. I now saw that her cheeks were wet.

"No."

"Oh. Well, what about the missing camper? Can I help look?"

"I doubt you will find him."

"Why not? Who is he?"

Annabeth looked at me with a cold, hard stare before saying, "Leo."

_AWESOME POV CHANGE!_

**Leo**

I wasn't scared. I had my trusty hammer in my hand. I wasn't upset. I was too focused to be sad. I _definitely _wasn't happy. That was probably the opposite of what I was. I wasn't angry. I understood how Jason was feeling.

I didn't know what I was.

All I knew was that I had my goal set out in front of me, and nothing can stop me from achieving it.

But first, I had to rescue a certain goddess.

**Seriously, if there isn't Caleo in one of my stories, it isn't a catsrawesome fanfic.**

**So, please REVIEW! I AM PUTTING THIS IN CAPS TO PUT EMPHESIS ON IT! I DON'T THINK I SPELLED EMPHESIS RIGHT!**

**(If you don't know where it is, look just a little lower. There is it! That is where you write reviews!)**

**U R AWESOME!  
>carsrawesome<strong>


	2. The Letter-Piper

**Hey everyone!**

**thank you to all who reviewed. It made my day reading them.**

**So, is you didn't bother to read the first few words yet, this is five years after Leo ran away. **

**I hope you like it!**

_AWESOME POV CHANGE!_

**Piper**

**_*Five Years Later*_**

By now, the last image of Leo drifted away from my memory, so now all I remembered was his name.

When that happened, I was in the bathroom for an hour, pulling at my hair, struggling to remember. Only when Jason came in did I calm down.

Oh yeah. Did I mention that Jason and I lived together?

No, we are not married. We just wanted to live together. When we turned eighteen, we got an apartment in New Rome and moved in. We live right next door to Annabeth and Percy, who actually _did _decide to get married. The wedding was amazing, if you were wondering. Everyone from both camps showed up (except Octavian, which is understandable, and Nico for some reason). Hazel and Frank lived around the block, just living together like me and Jason, but that didn't stop us from walking over there for most of our meals. When I mentioned before that Hazel was a good cook, I wasn't kidding!

By now, we were both twenty. Our appearances weren't that different, except that my uneven hair was longer, and Jason's hair was more wild (of course, not as wild as Percy's). Jason was more muscular and, in my opinion, handsome. He was still Praetor along with Percy and Reyna (we decided to just do three because it was too complicated to fix) and I did most of the housework. It was a system we both quickly got used to and enjoyed. I just loved being with Jason. Now no one could ever take him away from me.

It was Saturday, so Jason wasn't going to work. It was my favorite day of the week. We both sat at the table, eating waffles. I grabbed some blueberries and sprinkled some on my waffles. The blueberries arranged themselves so that the waffle looked like a smiley-face. Just like the way Leo used to make his waffles. Once again, there was a lurch in my heart that happened whenever I thought of him.

Both camps had searched for over a year without success. In the middle of the second year, people started giving up. By the end of the second year, only the Seven (which wasn't really 'seven' now) were still looking. But by the third year, Percy and Annabeth gave up and got married. A year after that, Hazel and Frank mourned for their long-lost friend. Only Jason and I continue our hopeless search, giving up one day a month to look for him. It continued like that up until this very moment, but even we are starting to claim it hopeless.

That is, until we got the letter.

It didn't look that extraordinary when I got up to get the mail and brought it back to the table. There were only a few things: a letter from Chiron, a business letter for Jason, and a small, white envelope. When I turned it over, I discovered no return address. I pointed this out to Jason.

"What do you think it means?" I asked him.

"I don't know, but I am not sure if we should open it. It could be dangerous."

"But what if it's not? Maybe it is important!"

Jason pondered it for a moment, and then said, "Ok, but do it cautiously."

I held out the envelope at an arm's length like it was some dangerous explosive (heart lurch) and slowly opened it. I turned it upside-down and jumped back. Only a simple letter fell out. Jason gingerly picked it up and read it. As soon as he read the first lines, he turned pale and his jaw fell.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Look at this," he croaked. I ran over to him and started to read until my expression was quite similar to Jason's.

_Dear Piper and Jason,_

_I am not sure if you remember me. Heck, I am actually pretty hard to forget. So, let me just clarify that this is Leo Valdez, the one of the Seven who helped you fight in the Giant War._

_Before we cut to the chase, I hope that you are doing well. I am sure that now you too are either married or living together or something like that. If you are not, my mistake. I myself am great. I am comfortable and happy._

_Now, let's get down to business. Five years ago, I made a bet that in five years time, I will be a success. I am not sure what your definition of a success is, but I think I can meet those qualifications quite nicely. If you don't believe me, I am inviting you both and the rest of the Seven to come and see me. Enclosed are six tickets. No, that is not where I live. I currently reside in Houstan, Texas, living with my beautiful girlfriend. I think you will like her._

_We will be staying there for ten days, and then we will fly back to my home, where you can stay as long as you desire. I hope to see you soon. I really have missed you, and I am sorry for all the trouble I probably caused. I think trouble is part of my DNA. Callie certainly thinks so. _

_I hope to see you there. _

_Bad Boy Supreme,_

_Leo Esperanza Valdez_

I was only looking at two words.

"_Girlfriend_!?" I blurted out, knocking Jason out of his shock.

"I can't believe it," he said, "We can actually go and see him!"

I looked at the ground to see the six promised tickets that must have been shaken out along with the letter. I read it to find two surprises.

"These are to the _Bahamas!" _I exclaimed.

"WHAT!?"

We both double checked them to see if we had read them right.

"That's not all," I said, my eyes widening as I scanned the ticket, "This is first class."

"No way."

"Yes way!"

"How did he get his hands on these?" Jason wondered out loud, "They must have cost a fortune!"

"I don't know, but we will find out soon. We need to be at the airport tomorrow morning."

"I'll start packing."

"Wait, don't you think we should do something first?" I asked him.

"Like what?" he asked, confused.

I rolled my eyes.

"Tell everyone else, of course! They will want to know. Besides, they are coming with us!"

"Oh. Yeah. Right."

We ran out of the apartment.

"I wonder who this 'Callie' person is," said Jason as we ran.

"It could be a nickname," I said.

"Who knows? It must be his girlfriend."

"Wait until everyone hears about his," I said, chuckling to myself, "They will think we are pranking them."

"And then they will realize that we are telling the truth."

"The looks on their faces will be priceless."

"Should we take a photo?"

"Nah."

"Maybe Leo would want to see it."

We both stopped, then ran back the way we came to get a camera.

**In the next chapter, it will be with Leo, and 'Callie'! please review! u r awesome!**

**catsrawesome**


	3. The Arrival-Leo

**Hi everyone! thank you all who reviewed! It made me so happy reading them!**

**Yes, it is Calypso, and yes, in this chapter it is explained how and why Leo is famous! I hope you like it!**

_AWESOME POV CHANGE!_

**Leo**

I waited at the airport for the 10:55 departure. Even in the air-conditioned building, it was really warm, but pleasantly so. I closed my eyes slightly, content.

Or maybe it was because of the girl holding my hand.

She was wearing a yellow, spaghetti strap sundress and sandals. I could just see her red bikini bathing suit beneath the yellow floral print. Her brown hair was loose, and came down to her waist. Her almond-shaped eyes showed anxiety, but she held it in well. I smiled at her.

Calypso.

Getting to the island wasn't easy. I grabbed all the food I could, built a simple raft, and set off. I had my astrolabe with me, so I was able to track the island. The problem was that the island kept moving and shifting positions. I had to keep changing direction until Hermes finally took pity on me. He broke the enchantment that kept me from getting to the island with a small smile, telling me that when Calypso leaves that she becomes mortal, though she would keep her magic powers. Then, I finally saw the island in the distance.

The reunion was the happiest moment of my life. I kept shouting for Calypso and running like Travis does after he pranks the Demeter cabin. After a few minutes of pointless searching, I mentally face-palmed myself and ran to her garden. When I entered the garden, a mixture of aromas greeted my nose, but none were as incredible as the cinnamon smell of the gardener. Of course, Calypso was there tending to her flowers. She was crying, and she was so preoccupied that she didn't even notice me. I smiled, crept up behind her, put my hands over her eyes, and muttered in a sing-song voice, "Guess who?"

My smile became wider as I remembered her reaction, and I sub-consciously press my hand to my cheek at the memory of her shovel coming in contact with my jaw. Right after she hit me, she realized who I was, and before I could even say, "Ow", she had kissed me. Let's just say that I wasn't really concerned about my jaw when that happened.

I told her that she could come back with me, and her face was full of disbelief and happiness. It had brought me so much joy to see her happy, and knowing that I had brought that happiness. It had taken her only a few minutes to pack. I had helped her, and told her about losing her immortality. She took it surprisingly well, saying that she actually was glad that she was mortal, because she could be with me forever.

My smile grew.

We had left the island and, after some debate, set off for Houston, Texas. We got fake résumés that clarified that we were both eighteen and bought an old, run down building that we quickly transformed into 'Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters'. The shop contained a forge, a waiting room, and even a café that sold Calypso's famous cider and stew. In the back of the shop were two bedrooms (one that we barely used), a kitchen, and a living room that had a TV (it took a while for me to explain what a TV is to Calypso). Calypso also planted plenty of flowers, giving the grimy place a cleaner appearance. We worked hard and our reputation quickly spread. Mortals came often for me or Calypso to fix or build something, and demigods often came for weapons to be forged or repaired. We even decided that, on Saturday nights, Calypso would sing for entertainment.

That was when our lives really sky-rocketed.

It just so happened that one night while Calypso was singing, a music producer needed something fixed, and when Calypso sung, he asked us in private if his company could have her. We agreed (or managed to agree through our shock) and Calypso started the show biz. She was now everywhere. She has toured the world twice, performed about two hundred concerts, and her songs were playing everywhere.

We moved out. We kept the shop there, but we now lived in a mansion, because we didn't know what to do with all the money we had. We bought expensive furniture, and I bought many beautiful outfits for Calypso (which she was somehow unhappy about) and we took many vacations. My favorite so far was Hawaii. I loved seeing the volcanos, even though they terrified Calypso.

But one time, at an interview, Calypso had the nerve to introduce _me _to everyone. To the millions of people viewing.

That was when my talent for acting was discovered.

I was invited to have a minor part in a movie. Apparently people actually liked me, because I was invited a few weeks after that to co-star in another movie. I would never forget the experience I had being in that best-seller.

The movie was the story of a girl who's father left her. She almost got killed by a gang that my character was supposedly a part of. The gang had constantly grabbed teen girls and attacked them, and my character's job was to interfere if the fight got ugly. But in secret, the only reason that my character was in the group was that I was an orphan, because my parents fought in the army and were killed by a bomb. But the age of the girl who were attack kept going down until they finally attacked a fourteen year old girl, and my character decided to defend her and hold off the attackers, even though it might have meant death for him. My character did manage to survive, and decided to take helping the girl one step further by teaching her self-defense. That was my favorite scene in the movie, and it was fun playing a hard-core karate man.

Without realizing it, the characters started to have a close bond, until my character was almost like the father who left the girl. One day though, the gang attacked the girl again. She managed to hold them off until the leader of the gang brought out a gun and pulled the trigger. My character had gotten there just in time and took the bullet to save the girl. My character managed to kill the gang leader, but the wound had been fatal, and my character had died.

Calypso tears up every time we watch that part, and even though I tell her that it is just a story and that I am not really dying, she ignores me and cries her eyes out. I have played many other parts, most in comedies. I currently am an actor for a comedy show. Also on rare occasions, I rap for Calypso's songs. We still work in our machine shop, but we keep the prices low and often give to charity.

I hardly noticed the years go by, but I still missed my friends. I often show Calypso a photo that I have of all of them.

"Leo?"

I look down at Calypso.

"Yes Callie?"

She rolled her eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Stop calling me Callie!"

"Ok, Callie."

She sighed, knowing that she was not getting anywhere, and said, "How much longer until they arrive?"

"Two minutes."

"Ok."

She was silent for some time, and then said, "Tell me about them."

I gave her a quizzical look.

"Again?"

"Please."

I took a deep breath, and then said, "Jason is a natural born leader. He is brave, amazing in combat, and is pretty much the only person on the planet that can stand my presence."

"I can," she added.

"And you can," I agreed, "Piper has a strange beauty to her. She is nearly always confident, and she always fights for what she believes in. Annabeth, to put it shortly, is terrifying."

I managed to get a small giggle from that.

"She always has that look that she is deciding the best and most painful way to kill you by just looking at you. But she is really nice, if you don't annoy her. If you do, then you will be having a lot of free time... in a hospital bed."

Another giggle.

"You already know Percy..." I hesitated a bit, and when Calypso didn't answer, I continued, "He is a lot like Jason, but he has a bit more of a sense of humor, so he would let you off of more things, which is good. Frank is a little clumsy, but he is like a ballerina on the battle field."

I fought back a smile as I imagined Frank killing monsters while wearing a pink leotard.

"He is nice, and amazing with a bow. He is kind of a gentle giant. Hazel is sweet and loving. She always has a soft spot for Nico, her brother, and can break up almost any fight. She also makes a mean enchilada."

"Better than mine?" she asked me, smiling.

"Hm. I am not sure which is better. I haven't had her cooking in a while."

"That is because you live off of mine!"

"Hey, I can't cook! Remember the last time I tried to cook?"

"I told you not to cook the chicken by hand!"

"I happen to like Bar-BQ!"

"That didn't mean that you had to burn down the whole kitchen!"

We both laughed, and the mood shifted upward. That was, until Calypso asked me, "Are you scared?"

I didn't answer right away. Truthfully, I was terrified. Do they still like me? Would they even come? Would they like Calypso? I was a little worried about Percy's reaction when he saw Calypso. That is, if they didn't already get the 'Callie' hint.

I just kissed Calypso on the cheek and said, "A little. But it will be ok."

"Will they like me?"

I smiled.

"Of course! Why wouldn't they like you?"

"Percy might not."

That hurt me a lot. The fact that she still cared that Percy liked her concerned me, like she might still want to be with him and not me. Calypso noticed my expression and pulled me into a small, yet sweet kiss.

"I love you," she said, "Not him. I just want to be friends with him. Ok?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for fear of blabbering and completely embarrassing myself. That was when people started coming from the gate. Among the people, I saw six familiar faces.

"There they are," I said.

Calypso gripped my hand tighter.

That was when Annabeth met my gaze.

**CLIFFIE! i am so mean.**

**Please review for chapter 4! U R AWESOME!**

**catsrawesome**


	4. The Reunion-Annabeth

**Hey everyone! I am so sorry for the long wait! I just am juggling so many stories with school and homework and everything else, blah blah blah. **

**I just finished reading the Blood of Olympus! It was so good! Also, in this story, the Seven never knew that Leo met Calypso, even though they do in the BoO. **

**Disclaimer: If I did own the HOO, then whoever died in the BoO wouldn't have died! Except for maybe one person, who I won't spoil for you, because I DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE SATISFACTION OF FINDING OUT THAT HE IS DEAD! TAKE THAT, STUPID CHARACTER THAT NOBODY LIKES!**

_AWESOME POV CHANGE!_

**Annabeth**

I was the first one to spot Leo.

When my stormy grey eyes met his brown ones, I instantly froze. He had changed a lot since the last time I saw him. His hair was curlier, he was taller, and he had _muscles_. This came as a shock to me, for I had always known Leo to be extremely scrawny. But he had the same eyes, the same energy, and the same smile. Those qualities combined with his new ones made him look, well, _handsome_. No wonder Leo managed to get a girlfriend.

Speaking of which, there was a girl a little shorter than Leo standing next to him, clutching his hand. She had long, cinnamon brown hair that fell down to her waist, framing her face. Her skin was also tanned, but it was a lighter shade than Leo, like creamy coffee. Her almond shaped eyes showed anxiety.

Slowly, Leo raised a hand up in greeting. I couldn't stand it anymore.

I ran over to him as fast as I could (which was pretty fast). Leo looked like he was expecting me to grow fangs and bite his head off, but what I did shocked him even more. I hugged him as tightly as I could.

"Leo!"

Another body slammed into us: Piper. I broke away from Leo to give them some time. Hazel soon ran over and hugged Leo tightly. She was crying, and I was surprised to see that Leo's face was streaked with tears. I have never seen Leo cry.

Jason was the first boy to come over. He immediately embraced Leo, who hugged him back tighter. Percy gave Leo a hug too, and patted him on the back. Frank, however, immediately wrapped the Latino in a big bear hug. I fought back a laugh as Leo's feet left the floor when Frank picked him up.

"Cant... breathe," Leo managed to gasp.

Frank quickly released Leo.

That was when Piper went into overly-protective-big-sister mode.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" she yelled, attracting many stares. Piper ignored them.

"WE HAVE SEARCHED FOR YOU FOR YEARS! _YEARS! _AND YOU NEVER CAME BACK!"

"Piper, calm down," said Jason. Unfortunately, he didn't have the power of charmspeak.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE US A NOTE OR SOMETHING! YOU NEVER WROTE TO US! NO IRIS MESSAGES!"

"Um, Piper?" interjected Frank, "People are starting to stare."

"I DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE STARING! LET THEM STARE! ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THIS BIG BUFFOON RIGHT HERE!"

"Piper," I said, "Let it go. What matters is that he is here-"

"IDIOT! BIG PIECE OF HELLHOUND DUNG!"

Piper kept insulting Leo, using quite a few terms that threatened to make Hazel faint. Leo just watched Piper awkwardly, looking more and more guilty. The girl with the almond eyes stood a few feet away, looking quite glad that she wasn't part of the conversation.

Finally, Leo cut Piper off.

"Good to see you too, Beauty Queen."

Piper looked stunned for a moment, and then she embraced Leo once again, sobbing into his shoulder. Leo rubbed her back. Jason suddenly spoke up.

"Listen, Leo. About the bet..."

Jason looked even guiltier than Leo. He smiled sheepishly, and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small pouch that jingled with coins.

"You earned it."

Leo smiled, and then reached out for the coins. But instead of taking the pouch, he closed Jason's hand over the money.

"Keep it. I have no need for it."

Jason looked stunned. Then, Leo remembered the girl.

"Oh! I am being rude. Everyone, I would like you to meet someone."

The girl obviously was okay with being not noticed. She turned away, not meeting our eyes.

"Everyone, meet-"

"Calypso?"

It had been Percy who had spoken up. The girl's cheeks turned pink, and Leo was no longer smiling.

"Calypso? Like, the Calypso?" I asked.

Percy looked like he was searching for the right words to say. But what are the right words to say to someone who fell in love with you but you rejected them for someone else? And in this case, _I _was that someone else.

"Yes," the girl said, startling everyone including Leo, "I am _the_ Calypso. Long time no see, Percy."

That made Percy feel worse. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Leo glared at him. Leo almost always smiles, and when he does glare, it is terrifying. I didn't blame Percy for retreating several steps.

"Uh, hi. I'm Piper," said Piper, awkwardly holding out her hand.

Calypso looked relieved. She smiled shyly and held out her own hand, shaking Piper's.

"So you are Piper? Leo has told me a lot about you."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, like you are a daughter of Aphrodite, you can do charmspeak, and mainly your appearance. He also told me that you were like a sister to him, and how much he cared about you."

Piper looked at Leo, and she looked like she was about to start crying again.

"How long have you and Leo known each other?" asked Frank, catching on to Piper's idea of friendly conversation.

"Well, about five years, I believe."

"How do you each know each other, anyway?" I asked.

Instead of answering my question, Calypso turned away, like I was the President of the United States and she didn't feel like she had the honor of looking at me.

"So, you and Leo have been together for five years, huh?" said Jason.

"Yup," said Calypso cheerfully, "We share a house in Houstan, Texas."

"What do you do for a living?" asked Hazel.

"Well, most of the time, we own a machine shop, but sometimes I perform at concerts."

"Concerts?" said Piper, her eyes widening, "Are you like this big-time artist?"

Calypso shrugged, "I guess so."

"She being modest," piped in Leo, "She is everywhere! She had toured about every single country in the world! You should hear her sing!"

Calypso blushed, but looked pleased with herself.

"So, where are we going? I'm hungry!" said Frank.

Calypso's smile changed. All of her shyness was gone. Instead, there was a glint of mischief in the way her mouth curved and in her eyes.

"You'll see."

Leo's smile widened.

**More chapters to come! Review! U R AWESOME!**

**Catsrawesome**


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